Quality of life among caregivers of people with end-stage kidney disease managed with dialysis or comprehensive conservative care

Shah, Karan K.; Murtagh, Fliss E.M.; McGeechan, Kevin; Crail, Susan M.; Burns, Aine; Morton, Rachael L.

doi:10.1186/s12882-020-01830-9

Quality of life among caregivers of people with end-stage kidney disease managed with dialysis or comprehensive conservative care

Shah, Karan K.; Murtagh, Fliss E.M.; McGeechan, Kevin; Crail, Susan M.; Burns, Aine; Morton, Rachael L.

Authors

Karan K. Shah

Professor Fliss Murtagh F.Murtagh@hull.ac.uk
Professor of Palliative Care

Kevin McGeechan

Susan M. Crail

Aine Burns

Rachael L. Morton

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To measure health-related and care-related quality of life among informal caregivers of older people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and to determine the association between caregiver quality of life and care recipient's treatment type. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Three renal units in the UK and Australia were included. Informal caregivers of people aged ≥75 years with ESKD managed with dialysis or comprehensive conservative non-dialytic care (estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) ≤10 mL/min/1.73m2) participated. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using Short-Form six dimensions (SF-6D, 0-1 scale) and care-related quality of life was assessed using the Carer Experience Scale (CES, 0-100 scale). Linear regression assessed associations between care-recipient treatment type, caregiver characteristics and the SF-6D utility index and CES scores. RESULTS: Of 63 caregivers, 49 (78%) were from Australia, 26 (41%) cared for an older person managed with dialysis, and 37 (59%) cared for an older person managed with comprehensive conservative care. Overall, 73% were females, and the median age of the entire cohort was 76 years [IQR 68-81]. When adjusted for caregiver sociodemographic characteristics, caregivers reported significantly worse carer experience (CES score 15.73, 95% CI 5.78 to 25.68) for those managing an older person on dialysis compared with conservative care. However, no significant difference observed for carer HRQoL (SF-6D utility index - 0.08, 95% CI - 0.18 to 0.01) for those managing an older person on dialysis compared with conservative care. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest informal caregivers of older people on dialysis have significantly worse care-related quality of life (and therefore greater need for support) than those managed with comprehensive conservative care. It is important to consider the impact on caregivers' quality of life when considering treatment choices for their care recipients.

Citation

Shah, K. K., Murtagh, F. E., McGeechan, K., Crail, S. M., Burns, A., & Morton, R. L. (2020). Quality of life among caregivers of people with end-stage kidney disease managed with dialysis or comprehensive conservative care. BMC Nephrology, 21(1), 160. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-020-01830-9

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 27, 2020
Online Publication Date	May 4, 2020
Publication Date	May 4, 2020
Deposit Date	Apr 29, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Apr 29, 2020
Journal	BMC nephrology
Print ISSN	1471-2369
Publisher	Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	21
Issue	1
Pages	160
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-020-01830-9
Keywords	informal caregivers; chronic renal insufficiency; quality of life; renal dialysis; conservative care
Public URL	https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3501849
Publisher URL	https://bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12882-020-01830-9

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